SeaWorld San Diego
add photosTicket discounts available online or through GOSanDiego pass.
For some unforgettable experiences, check out these special programs. You can share a meal with an orca family in Dine with Shamu—a scrumptious all-you-can-eat buffet with SeaWorld’s biggest star. You will eat at a reserved table alongside the killer-whale habitat in an area restricted to trainers and animal-care specialists. Buffet breakfast or dinner includes a special just-for-kids menu.
For an amazing hour and $11.00 for adults, $9.00 for kids, take a public behind-the-scenes tour that brings you to areas you will not find on the SeaWorld map. Many of the tours are interactive, and each is a unique aquatic adventure. Offered daily, this one-hour tour gives you a glimpse at animal care, training, and rehabilitation. Group size is limited to twenty five plus the educator/guide so you really get the “insider’s view.”
The Public Animal Spotlight Tour is a two-hour interactive tour with a chance to touch and feed bottlenose dolphins, feed moray eels and sea turtles, and touch sharks. This tour is offered Wednesday through Sunday year-round for an additional $40 per adult/$36 per child that is well worth the time and money.
Other specialized tours include Saving-a-Species Tour, Wild Arctic Experience, and Penguin Experience. Private tours can also be arranged as well as Trainer for a Day, sleepovers, and group day-camper programs.
All are highly recommended as wonderful ways to enhance your family’s up-close nature experience.
76 Reviews for SeaWorld San Diego
144
107
'10, '11
0 families found this helpful
"Shamu rocks"
Where else do you get to see orca whales up close and personal. We were there during the Christmas holidays and it was busy, but well worth the trip. We hit the kiddie Sesame Street amusement park area early, so we didn't have to wait in any lines.
The weather was a bit brisk, so the "soak zones" where definitely not packed like it is in the summer months. We sat in the second row for the dolphin show and just got a bit of water on our jeans that dried off by lunchtime. However, for the Shamu show, the soak zone is no joke. Bring your umbrellas and raingear if you don't want to get wet.
If you're kids like feeding animals, they will really be in heaven. They can feed practically any type of sea creature they're interested in. Just be sure to check the times.
Be sure to check the show schedules and get there early during busy seasons (holidays and summer) because the seats fill up fast. Bring some snacks and have some games in your back pocket to help pass the time (usually about 20-30 minutes).
Send a Message 
Send a Compliment
It's helpful
0 families found this helpful
"You'll have fun"
There really isn't anything different with Sea World San Diego from any other Sea World, but that's not really a bad thing as we still had fun. If you take the bus there, you'll have to take a taxi back late at night as bus service won't run anymore. Also, make sure you get ice cream in the park - Amazing!
0 families found this helpful
"awesome night"
At sea world its was awesome seeing all the shows and attractions they had to offer. It was only my first time their and i was already excited to see everything they had. I stayed their from when they opened till the time they closed. The food their is OK. I would rather eat elsewhere but its is just a conveince.
1 family found this helpful
"Sea World San Diego"
We love sea life. We had to go see Shamu at San Diego's Sea World. We loved all the shows, especially the dolphin show and the Shamu show. When we went there was also a Cirque de la Mar show which was basically a Cirque du Soleil on the water. Pretty amazing. My sister had season passes to Sea World and knew all the shortcuts and tricks. We saw and went on every ride. It was great to do everything all in one day, but to tell the truth, I don't remember much of it. I highly suggest getting a two-day pass and go through the park at your leisure. If a show starts in 5 minutes and you're on the other side of the park, skip it. It'll play again later or do it the next day. Instead, do things that are in that area and don't follow the crowds. Enjoy what's around you. We, on the other hand, sped so fast around the park getting everything done that no one in the group appreciated or understood what was going on. It was a waste. I want to go back and enjoy myself next time and not take my sister (shhh! don't tell her!) lol
0 families found this helpful
"A fun summer day"
SeaWorld in San Diego is a wonderful aquarium/park to take the family, especially on a nice summer day. It can get hot, but there are the shows where you can sit up close and get wet to cool down! The shows are very good, and probably one of my personal favorites for visiting. But kids like to walk around and look at all the different animals, from the seals to the dolphins and of course the famous Shamu orcas. It can be pricey, as all theme parks are, but Sea World is overall a nice all-day outing for families that enjoy animals.
0 families found this helpful
"Tons of Fun for the Whole Family!"
Sea World is one of our family's favorite attractions. If your kids love whales, dolphins, or sharks, visiting Sea World will be a dream come true! There are lots of fun animal shows to go to. Our favorites are Shamu and the dolphin show. You will get to see the animals perform flips and other tricks. The shark exhibit is one-of-a-kind. You follow a walkway through/underneath the actual tank, so you can see sharks swimming all around you. This may be scary for really little kids, but older kids usually love it! There are also some other really unique animals to see, such as manatees and beluga whales. There are also a couple of rides. You can easily spend a whole day at Sea World. Our best advice would be to bring rain ponchos with you. They sell them in the park, but they are ridiculously expensive. There's a pretty good chance you'll get wet at some point during the day, so it's nice to have them on hand!
0 families found this helpful
"fantastic!"
I went to Sea World in San Diego last summer, and I really enjoyed it. It was fun to walk around and see everything that they had, but also, when we got tired of walking, they had shows to sit down and watch. There was a show titled, "Pets Rule!" and a few others that i can't recall the names of. I, as well as the kids, loved it. It was great to be able to walk around and also sit and have entertainment. The kids loved watching Shamoo splash around, as well as the dolphin show we attended. We sat in the "Splash Zone" during the dolphin show, and the kids enjoyed the dolphins splashing water onto them!
0 families found this helpful
"Tons of aquatic fun!"
You get what you pay for here! World class animals, shows and lots of fun. If we were closer I'd get passes for the boys so that we could enjoy more activities more often. It is definitely something that you need more than one day to see/experience all of the shows, animals and rides. Tons of fun for everyone!
0 families found this helpful
"Fun Place"
What I like about Sea World is that they have rides and animals and shows. That makes it so that there is something for everyone. The workers do a really good job at the shows and are great at keeping the audience entertained. Fun for everyone at Sea World!
0 families found this helpful
"AWESOME!"
The ultimate for anything water related! Lots to see: the shows, the sights. Plenty of walking so not recommended for very little children. However older kids that don't mind a trek and diversions along the way would LOVE IT!!! A MUST SEE/MUST DO on any visit to San Diego!!!
0 families found this helpful
"Spend a whole day!"
Expect to spend an entire day easily. Be sure to plan out which shows you want to see and when they are scheduled so you do not miss out on a favorite. The dolphin show is something to be remembered. Lots of walking, so bring a stroller for the kiddos. A fun chance to see animals of the sea that you would not see anywhere else. Fun for kids and adults alike!
0 families found this helpful
"Great for kids"
We took our two kids, 4&6, to sea world. We had to pay extra for the killer whale show, but I have to say, it was amazing. We enjoyed it as much as the kids!
It is pricey , but well worth it. The kids enjoyed the rides and the hands on exhibits are great!!
0 families found this helpful
"fantastic !!!"
I came SeaWorld San Diego in June last year. Although it was sunny and hot a little bit, the atmosphere was great. Everybody were happy to enjoy every shows there. The kids cheered up loudly at every show. They were so excited to go everywhere, talk to each other and watch animals. In my opinion, the best show is the Shamu show. It's fantastic and I will never forget it in my entire life.
0 families found this helpful
"A wonderful, wet day out!!"
Make sure you go on a hot day, 'coz you'll be soaking when you leave!! (Not to mention, stinking to high heaven like fish!!) This is a great, fun educational and breathtaking park to spend a day in. Kids adore Shamu, the killer whale and you can see him and his friends up close and personal in his own show. One if the highlights of the park is definitely the tunnel of sharks, sure to give everyone in the family the heebie jeebies:) You will see animals you have always wanted to see up and close(like when you pet the dolphins), and ones you never even dreamed existed!!
0 families found this helpful
"Fabulous Destination"
The experience you get at Sea World is not comparable. They have wonderful shows for all ages. The new dolphin show was our favorite. I highly recommend taking little children here. The rides were fun for children over 6. It is great to see the animals in their huge aquarium. We loved the shark exhibit. The elmo show is great for toddlers. They have rides made for younger children that other parks don't.
0 families found this helpful
"Love the Shows!"
This is my second favorite next to Disneyland! The shows are amazing and I used to spend hours at the Dolphin touch tank as a kid. I love that it is right on the ocean too. I love the emphasis on education there. Every where you turn they are teaching you something! I wanted to be a Marine Biologist as a kids because of all the stuff I learned there! Plus, there is an awesome childrens play area!
0 families found this helpful
"LOVE IT"
I LOVE this place! Being a big Disneyland fan I was hesitant to go, as I thought I would be disappointed. Boy, I was wrong. This place is sooo educational and fun. Watching all the shows is amazing. My 2 favorite things is the polar bear exhibit. My kids LOVED being up close to the polar bears! It is such an amazing experience. My second favorite thing is for sure the penguin exhibit. It is so neat watching the penguins jump and swim in the water. I would recommend Sea World to anyone! It is a GREAT place!
1 family found this helpful
"Great fun for a busy, non-stop day"
If you are traveling with your kids to San Diego and have only ONE place you can visit, come to Sea World. It truly has something for everyone. There are attractions and rides for the thrill seeker families, lots of great scientific animal research and information for the brainiacs, fun, silly and energetic shows for the theatrical, and small, hands-on exhibits for the curious little-ones or for the curious at heart.
We used to have season passes here because our kids ABSOLUTELY LOVE every minute they are here.
The only down side was how very exhausted we felt (especially as parents) when the day was over. There is so much planning: What show will we see next? When does it start? Do we have time to walk there? Will we miss the show if we stop and get a water? When can I squeeze in the rides and not miss the shows? What time do they feed the animals? etc... As a mom, I felt a bit overwhelmed every time we went as we tried to see and do everything, and it seems complicated to do that in one visit.
If you can force yourself to fork over the money and not care if you miss a main event, then the stress will melt away. If not, try to plan in advance so you don't spend your day in a map/guidebook instead of looking at the awesome wonders around you.
**Update** We just returned to Sea World this weekend and bought Season passes (SoCal teachers get a free pass this year!) and I was a little disappointed. Most of the educational aspects of the park are being diminished by pure entertainment. In the new dolphin show, you learn absolutely nothing about dolphins and out of the 25 min. show, they are involved only in about 6 minutes of it. The Shamu show (which is under construction), also gives no educational information about orcas, and simply plays music while the whales swim. (thankfully, the entire show though was whales swimming, jumping, etc...) My favorite exhibit in the past was getting to feed and pet the dolphins; while this is still available, they have shrunk the area the "common" folk can use and have roped the rest off for dolphin encounters, which is a hefty sum in addition to your ticket. :(
0 families found this helpful
"sea world"
This was good, but not great. We were expecting more animals and it seemed more filled with rides than animals. We planed on spending the day, but had seen it all in about 3 hours. The food was expensive, but really good. The rides were for older children, my 5 year old was very disapointed that most were not availble for her to ride.
0 families found this helpful
"WOW"
I don't think that we were able to see everything in one day. Shows were phenominal. Don't sit in the splash zone unless you don't mind smelling a little funky afterward. The funnel cakes with icecream on top were amazing. We ate those while watching the dolphin show and had an amazing time. Pretty much all the stadium seating was a good seat.
What's Nearby? Hotels » Activities »
Find Hotels near SeaWorld San Diego »
Find Activities near SeaWorld San Diego »
Find Restaurants near SeaWorld San Diego »
Get the inside scoop from parents who have been there!
